Massey Ferguson 550 / 565 / 575 / 590 service schedule

1. Park on level ground, lower the linkage, stop the engine and take the key out.
2. Wipe each nipple clean, then grease: front hubs, front axle kingpins, main steering shaft, front axle pivot pin, power steering ram pivot, and the lift rods and levelling box.
3. Pump until clean grease shows, then wipe off the surplus.
4. Every 100 hours, put a little light oil on the cab door hinges and lock and the window hinges and catches.

Tools: Grease gun, Oil can, Rag

1. Stop the engine and take the key out.
2. Press the belt midway between the fan pulley and crankshaft pulley. Total deflection should be 13 mm (0.5 in).
3. To adjust, slacken the alternator mounting bolts, move the alternator, and retighten the bolts securely.
4. Disconnect the alternator wiring before any arc welding on the tractor or implement.

Tools: Spanners, Ruler

1. Measure the clutch pedal free travel at the pedal pad. It should be 25 mm (1 in).
2. If it is wrong, adjust the bolt at the pedal to give the correct free travel.
3. With a new clutch or new linings, check it often during the first 50 hours.
4. Have your dealer check the live PTO clutch setting every 100 hours, or more often in heavy work (not needed on independent-PTO tractors, except dual-clutch versions).

Tools: Ruler, Spanners

1. Stop the engine and take off the front grille.
2. Blow through the fins from the rear of the radiator with a high-pressure air line.
3. Refit the grille.

Tools: Air line or low-pressure water hose

1. Check both brake pedals have equal travel and the brakes pull evenly when the pedals are latched together.
2. Adjust as the handbook describes if the travel is too much or uneven.
3. Every 500 hours, check the differential lock engages and frees properly and adjust if needed.

Tools: Spanners

1. Jack up each front wheel, support the axle and rock the wheel to check for play. Adjust the hub as the handbook describes if there is play.
2. Every 500 hours, have the toe-in checked: it should be 3 mm (1/8 in).

Tools: Jack and axle stands, Socket set, Track gauge

1. Run the engine to warm the oil, park on level ground, stop the engine and take the key out. Hot oil burns, so wear gloves.
2. Remove the sump drain plug and let the oil drain fully. Refit the plug securely.
3. Unscrew and throw away the old canister.
4. Slowly fill the new canister with clean engine oil and smear a little oil on its sealing ring. Check the ring sits in its recess on top of the canister.
5. Screw the canister on by hand until the ring just touches the head, then a further half turn by hand only. Do not overtighten.
6. Fill the sump with approved oil to between the MIN and MAX marks. Wait for it to settle before checking.
7. Run the engine, check for leaks, stop it and recheck the level.

Tools: Drain tray (10 L), Spanner for the sump plug, Filter strap wrench, Funnel, Rags, Gloves

1. Stop the engine and take the key out.
2. Unscrew the filter bowl from the filter head and take out the old element.
3. Clean the inside of the bowl and fit a new element.
4. Screw the bowl back in, making sure the O-ring on the head and the spring at the bottom of the bowl are in place.
5. Run the engine, check for leaks and top up the transmission oil if needed.

Tools: Drain tray, Rag

1. Clean the outside of the filter. Open the drain tap on the bowl and let the fuel drain.
2. Remove the centre bolt, then take off the element and bowl from the head and throw the element away.
3. Check the seals and clean the bowl. Refit with a new element and sound seals.
4. Bleed the system: slacken the filter outlet union and work the lift pump priming lever until fuel without bubbles comes out, then tighten it.
5. Slacken the lower vent plug on the injection pump and pump until bubble-free fuel comes out, then tighten. Do the same for the upper vent plug.
6. Slacken the unions at injectors 1 and 4, and the Thermostart feed pipe, and pump until bubble-free fuel comes out of each, then tighten.
7. Open the throttle fully, push the fuel cut-off knob in and crank until the engine starts. Tighten the injector unions.

Tools: Spanners, Drain tray, Clean rags, Paraffin-free clean diesel for flushing the bowl

1. Book the tractor in with your MF dealer or a diesel specialist.
2. Injector setting on the 565 is 17.73 N/mm² (175 atm) when new, 17.23 N/mm² (170 atm) working.

Tools: Dealer job

1. The handbook marks this as a dealer job.
2. On the 565 (A4.236) the valve tip clearance is 0.30 mm (0.012 in) cold or 0.25 mm (0.010 in) hot, inlet and exhaust. For other engines, check your handbook.
3. Clean the engine breather pipe at the same time.

Tools: Feeler gauges, Spanners, Socket set

1. Let the engine cool. Loosen the radiator cap slowly to let any pressure out, then remove it.
2. Open the two drain taps and let the coolant drain.
3. Use clean soft water if you can when refilling, mixed with antifreeze in the makers' proportions.
4. Fill to 25 mm below the filler neck, run the engine, then recheck the level when cool.
5. In frost, if no antifreeze is used, drain the system after work.

Tools: Drain tray (20 L), Spanner, Hose, Funnel

1. Every 50 hours, with the oil cool, turn the steering one turn to the left and run the engine at 1,200 rpm. The oil should be level with the filler plug. Never run the engine with the reservoir empty.
2. To change the filter (Plessey pump): put a tray under the reservoir, remove the dome nut and washer and slide off the reservoir.
3. Remove the nut, washer and spring and pull out the old element.
4. Check the spacer is seated in the pump body, fit the new element with its arrow pointing towards the pump body, and refit the spring, washer and nut.
5. Refit the reservoir, top up with fluid and recheck the level as above.

Tools: Drain tray, Spanners

1. Park level, put the hydraulic control levers fully down, stop the engine and take the key out.
2. Remove the two drain plugs and the filler plug and drain the oil.
3. Strainer: remove the three bolts and washers holding the cover plate under the centre housing. Remove the clip, nut, spring, washer and O-ring, then pull out the strainer and shroud. Clean the strainer in paraffin.
4. Check the O-ring is seated in the pump, refit the shroud and strainer, then the O-ring, washer, spring, nut and clip. Refit the cover plate with a new gasket.
5. Filter: unscrew the filter bowl from the head, throw the old element away, clean the bowl and fit a new element. Make sure the O-ring on the head and the spring in the bowl are in place.
6. Refit the drain plugs and fill with approved oil. Let it settle into the transmission and rear axle before checking: keep it at the XX mark for normal work, or MAX when using a lot of auxiliary hydraulic oil.

Tools: Large drain trays (50 L), Spanners and sockets, Paraffin and brush, Funnel

1. Put a container under the hub.
2. Turn the hub so the plugs are placed as in the handbook, then remove the drain plug and the filler plug.
3. When the oil has drained, refit the drain plug.
4. Fill with approved gear oil to the level of the filler plug hole, then refit the plug.
5. Do both sides. Every 200 hours, check the level is up to the filler plug.

Tools: Drain tray, Spanner for plugs, Oil pump or squeeze bottle

1. Stop the engine and take off the front grille.
2. Undo the wing nut and slide the main element out carefully.
3. To clean between changes: tap it on a clean dry tyre, or blow it out from the inside with compressed air at no more than 690 kN/m² (100 lbf/in²). Wash an oily or sooty element in warm water (not over 30 °C) with non-foaming detergent, rinse from the inside and let it dry. Never use petrol, paraffin or solvents, never use exhaust gas, and never oil it.
4. Check the element for holes with a light inside and the sealing washer for damage. Mark the end plate each time you wash it.
5. Wipe out the housing with a damp cloth, squeeze the unloader valve to clear dust, and refit the element and wing nut.
6. At the change interval, fit a new main element and a new safety element.
7. If the warning light stays on after a new main element, renew the safety element as well.

Tools: Clean dry cloth, Air line set to no more than 690 kN/m² (100 lbf/in²) for cleaning, Torch

1. Open the cab air filter cowl.
2. Take out the filter and clean it, or fit a new one at the change interval.
3. Refit the filter and cowl. Also check the cab securing bolts' torque every 500 hours (dealer).

Tools: Screwdriver, Air line (low pressure)